Lily Begins
by RealityCheckBounced89
Summary: Lily begins to change her mind about James. And she begins to change his mind, too.
1. The Order of the Phoenix

Summary: Lily begins to change her mind about James. Little does she know, she really is just a conquest to James, a beautiful trophy. But once he gets what he wants, Lily begins to change his mind, too.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling, as well as anything else you may recogize (i.e. Order of the Phoenix). The story is loosely based on the song "Anna Begins," which belongs to Counting Crows.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This story follows the information given to us in the books, except for one detail: Lily and James do not get together in their seventh year, but after Hogwarts.

**Lily Begins**

Chapter 1: The Order of the Phoenix

* * *

My name is James Potter and this is my story. 

At the age of eleven, I began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I wasn't a very extraordinary boy at first glance; average height, hazel eyes hidden behind thick glasses, and impossibly messy black hair. However I, much like the rest of my story, could only be understood by looking below the surface. Although I may have seemed ordinary, I was anything but. I knew I was smarter than most people my age, and my father had told me for years that I was exceptionally talented on a broomstick. I also had charisma to spare, and the ability to make anyone laugh. Apparently I was pretty good looking, too. Although I didn't discover it for another two years, I was considered quite handsome to _most_ of Hogwarts' female population. Notice I said _most_. Enter Lily Evans. Easily the most beautiful girl in school, Lily Evans was a muggle-born witch who always thought herself too clever too fall for my charms. Until we were 18 she refused me, and it became a hobby of mine to try to win her over. As the years went on, hobby grew into obsession as I failed over and over again to win Lily Evans, the ultimate conquest. By the time we graduated Hogwarts, I still hadn't achieved my goal, and resigned myself to the fact that I'd never see her again. And that is where this story begins...

* * *

My best friend lay across a park bench, lazily blowing puffs of smoke into the air. Sirius' dark hair flopped into his face with an elegance I envied. Running my hand nervously through my already messy black hair, I wondered briefly why I had agreed to come. 

"I'm bored," Sirius announced, propping himself up on his elbows. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Positive." I took a long drag on my cigarette. "Chill out, Padfoot, we're early."

As I stared off into the distance, I noticed a flash of red. Coming up the hill in front of me was a beautiful red-headed woman with striking green eyes. As Lily Evans approached, I couldn't help but think how gorgeous she'd gotten in the past three months. Over the summer, I'd noticed a few articles by her in the Daily Prophet. It was obvious that this wasn't just a chance meeting. Few things in life are quite so random.

When she finally reached me, she stopped, looked me up and down with a confidence I hadn't known she possessed, and smiled. "James Potter."

I exhaled before answering, careful to direct the cloud of nicotine away from her face. "Lily Evans."

Suddenly, Sirius sat up. "Evans? What are you doing here?"

"I reckon the same thing you blokes are."

"See moron, I told you we were in the right place." He just glared at me and returned to his position on the bench. I then remember she was still standing there. "So, you're a reporter now?"

"Yeah. All the shittiest stories land right on my desk."

"I've read some of them, they're good."

"Thank you." She smiled again, but did not resume her relaxed air. She seemed very anxious, and rather on edge. The silence that followed was terribly awkward. Then he showed up.

I said before that few things in life are random. Things happen for a reason. And the reason three old schoolmates were all gathered at that particular place and time had just apparated right in front of us.

Albus Dumbledore was a tall man with shining blue eyes and a long gray beard. He also had a slight tendency towards the abnormal. When our former headmaster arrived, Sirius quickly stood up and stomped out his cigarette. Few people commanded Sirius' respect like Albus Dumbledore did. So, we all stood and waited.

Evans was the first one to break the ice. "Professor Dumbledore, how are you?" she asked. The mature part of me knew she was simply being polite. The more juvenile part of me, however, immediately thought she was a teacher's pet. Somehow, Lily Evans still had the same affect on me. Some things never change.

"I'm fine, Miss Evans, thank you for asking. Now," he said, his tone changing from polite to grave. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I asked you here. Follow me." He set off through the park, the three of us eagerly following him. I'm quite sure we resembled a trio of ducklings waddling after their mother. As we walked on, I started to wonder why we couldn't just apparate to wherever it was we were going. Behind me, Sirius started grumbling about a rock in his shoe. We walked for about 25 minutes. By then, we were in a wooded area, completely enclosed by trees, so as to prevent us from being able to see out (or more importantly, anyone else to see in). He abruptly came to a halt, causing the rest of us to nearly topple into him.

He began muttering something and a hatch in the ground appeared. He opened it and led us down. My apprehension was growing. Dumbledore hadn't said a word to any of us in ages, and the stairway seemed to lead to nowhere. Without warning, the ground leveled out, and Dumbledore took us through a set of double doors. I started to blink in the sudden presence of light. We were in a large, open room that reminded me of the entry hall at my parents' house, with lots of doors leading off from it. He turned around to face us, three stunned teenagers. "Welcome," he said, "To the Order of the Phoenix."

* * *

Understandably, there were a few moments of stunned silence. Then, leave it to Sirius Black to voice what the rest of us were thinking: "Wow! What the hell's the Order of the Phoenix?" 

"That, Mr. Black, is precisely what I'm about to show you." He led us into one of the rooms leading off from the hall, and beckoned us to sit down. It resembled a conference room, with a long wooden table and dozens of chairs.

Once seated, Dumbledore began to explain everything. "The Order of the Phoenix is a secret organization I formed to help fight the threat of Lord Voldemort. It contains only the most talented and trustworthy witches and wizards. Which is why I've asked the three of you here. Because I trust all of you, and because you were the brightest students in you year, I'm asking you to pledge your time, talents, and loyalty to our cause."

"What exactly would you want us to do?" Lily asked.

"It depends. There's intelligence, reconaissonce, rescue-"

"Rescue? What would we need to be rescued from?"

"The enemy has taken many prisoners, Mr. Black. It seems they, too, are seeking information. However, they will go to any means necessary to get it."

I realized I'd been quiet for a while, and Sirius was watching me, waiting for my response. I looked up at Dumbledore. "I'll do it."

I hear Sirius say "Me too," a moment later. Ever since we were kids, it's been that way. Whatever we do, we do together. Lily said, "I'm in." And so, three new members were added to the Order of the Phoenix

Dumbledore quickly handed us off to Alastor Moody, a talented auror with a rugged look about him. He didn't seem too happy about having to show us around. Later, towards the end of our "tour" (if you could call it that), Sirius was badgering him with questions. Lily, however, was oddly quiet.

"Okay," Moody said, cutting Sirius off. Are there any more questions? And I mean important questions, Black," he said, staring at Sirius. "Good. And remember: If you tell anyone else about this place or this organization, I'll kill you." On that note, he left.

We found our way back to the forest outside. It was dark by now, and I noticed Lily shiver a little. "Wow," she whispered under her breath. She looked at me with those stunning green eyes. "I can't believe it. Do you think the Ministry knows about this?"

"There's no way they do. They'd be pissed if they knew Dumbledore had started something like this."

"Are we heading home, then?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, sure." I turned to her, "Well, I guess we'll be seeing you, Lily."

"It certainly looks that way, James."

* * *

So how was it so far? Are you interested? Bored? Willing to give me any sort of criticism? Should I continue?I'm not begging for reviews, but I would love some constructive criticism. I worked hard on this, so I'd really like to know what you think. 


	2. The Ultimate Prize

Summary: Lily begins to change her mind about James. Little does she know, she really is just a conquest to James, a beautiful trophy. But once he gets what he wants, Lily begins to change his mind, too.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling, as well as anything else you may recogize (i.e. Order of the Phoenix). The story is loosely based on the song "Anna Begins," which belongs to Counting Crows.

**Lily Begins**

Chapter 2: The Ultimate Prize

* * *

"Did you see Evans? Man, she was totally into you!" Sirius said once we'd apparated back to our flat."

"You've got to be kidding me," I said, walking into the kitchen. I knew there were probably some frozen dinners in the freezer, but I wasn't in the mood for them.

"I think this is your chance, Prongs."

"Padfoot, please. You know I gave up on that months ago."

"Only because you thought you'd never see her again. Fate has given you a second chance, mate!"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "And since when have you been such a strong advocate of Fate?" I asked.

"Since it offered me a chance to make my life more interesting."

"You mean my life."

"No, mine. It'll be fun watching you chase after Evans again."

"I'm not going to chase after Evans again."

"Why not?" Sirius asked. I started to think about it. "After all, she is ultimate prize," he added.

It was very tempting. My thoughts of Lily were interrupted, however, by a knock at the door. "Come in!" Sirius shouted, having planted himself on the couch.

Remus Lupin walked in, looking tired but cheerful. "I don't know why I even bother knocking," he said.

"Neither do I, buddy."

"Hey James, how are you?"

"He's thinking of going after Evans again," Sirius answered for me.

"Lily Evans? Where did this come from?"

"I ran into her today. And I think I might be seeing her around some more."

"I don't think that's a good idea, mate," Remus said, pushing Sirius' legs aside so he could sit down.

"Why not?" I asked.

"You know what she's like. It's all or nothing with her."

"I'm not worried," I said, running my hand through my hair.

"She's different, James. If you do this, don't let it be like the others."

"What do you mean?" I said, feigning ignorance.

"Lily Evans is not just a prize. You've got to be careful." When I didn't respond, he added, "Make an exception this time."

"Remus, I'm not worried," I said, almost laughing. He sighed, showing defeat, and sat down in a chair, since Sirius was occupying the whole couch.

"Whatever, mate, do what you like."

"I will," I said, a little more harshly than intended. But Remus has known me for seven years. He should know by now that once I've made up my mind, it stays that way.

Suddenly, Sirius sat up and said, "I'm thinking we should get a television."

"I'm thinking you're an idiot."

* * *

Three days after my little chat with Remus, I saw her again. We had all been called to a meeting. This time the conference room was full of people. Sirius, Lily, and I were introduced to most of the members of the Order. Their names' were announced so fast I barely remembered half of them. One or two I recognized as having been a few years above me in school, but most I'd never met before.

Apparently, meetings like this happened fairly often, but never in a regular fashion. It was meant to catch people up on what Voldemort and his cronies (or Death Eaters, as they called themselves) were up to.

Later, I caught up with Lily. "Nasty little bastards, aren't they?" I said, trying to strike up a conversation.

"That would be the nicest way of putting it," she said. She'd stopped walking to talk to me, which I took as a good sign.

"Would you like to go out, grab a cup of coffee?" I asked.

"I don't drink coffee," she said, almost teasingly.

"Tea then? Or any other type of beverage, I'm not picky." I'll admit, I really wanted her to say yes.

She looked skeptical. "James, I was kind of hoping you'd moved past that whole thing."

"Oh, I have, don't worry. I just thought we could catch up a little. Strictly as friends, I promise."

She smiled. "Well, okay, but just as friends?"

"Two old schoolmates talking about old times."

"It was three months ago."

"Old-ish." And then, I made Lily Evans laugh. I'd gotten further with her in one night than in the past seven years.

I took her to a nearby coffee shop, got her some tea, and started asking various questions about her summer. It was the most fun I'd had in months. She told me about her horrid sister's upcoming wedding to a walrus, or something like that, and how the bridesmaid dress made her feel like a walking glass of pumpkin juice. She'd been working for the Daily Prophet, and searching for an apartment in her spare time.

"So James," she said, "I feel like we've been talking about me all night. What have you been up to lately?"

I knew this would come, but I'd still been dreading it. Talking about my life was not something I did often, or ever really, in the past few months. "Not much. Sirius and I are rooming together, but nothing really interesting going on. My life's pretty boring, actually," I told her.

She looked at me skeptically over her tea cup. "Your life, boring? Now I find that hard to believe," she said, a smile playing at her lips. "Boring was never a term associated with the marauders at Hogwarts."

"Well you're gonna have to believe it," I said, laughing. I glanced at my watch, and was shocked to find that nearly two hours had passed. "Lily, it's getting pretty late."

She looked at the time and seemed surprised also. "Oh, I have to go to work tomorrow."

We both stood up, and she reached for her purse, but I held up my hand. "Don't worry, I've got it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, I invited you, the least I can do is pay."

"Well alright. Thanks. I guess I'll see you..." she trailed off, and I knew she didn't want to say where out loud.

"Yeah, I'll see you." She smiled and left.

When I got back home, Sirius was already in bed, and I was thankful. I didn't feel like answering any of his questions at the moment.

Lily was still exactly the same: beautiful, talented, and annoyingly unattainable. That had to change. I could feel the obsession coming back in full force. Lily Evans was like a drug, a bad habit I couldn't kick, and I needed more. She would be mine; I, James Potter, would have the ultimate prize.

* * *

Thank you so much to my reviewers: **Fleur-Elissa**, **ameo**, **redglasses**, **drumer girl**, and **Aquiriis** . I'm glad somebody besides me likes this story. I'm sorry this chapter is kind of short, and I don't even like it that much myself, but things start moving along soon. Also, some of you may have noticed that the conversation with Remus actually comes right out of the song.

I'm trying to update about once a week, but I'll be on vacation next week, so it'll be a bit of a wait before the next chapter.


	3. Change My Name

Summary: Lily begins to change her mind about James. Little does she know, she really is just a conquest to James, a beautiful trophy. But once he gets what he wants, Lily begins to change his mind, too.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling, as well as anything else you may recogize (i.e. Order of the Phoenix). The story is loosely based on the song "Anna Begins," which belongs to Counting Crows.

**Lily Begins**

Chapter 3: Change My Name

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I spent the next morning being grilled by Sirius about my "date" with Lily Evans.

"I told you, Padfoot, it wasn't a date."

"You bought her coffee and spent two hours talking. I think that qualifies as a date," he said, pouring a bowl of cereal. I swear, he has an unhealthy fascination with Fruit Loops.

"Well, she specifically said it wasn't a date," I said.

"Oh. Well it still sounds like a date." He was quietly eating his cereal for a while before he asked, "What exactly are you two doing?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I mean, she talks like she still doesn't trust me, but then she'll laugh at my jokes."

"You're making jokes then, that's an improvement."

"Listen, I don't need some sort of psychoanalysis from my best mate, alright?" I snapped, my mood getting dark as it often did when Sirius tried to bring "it" up.

He sighed heavily. "James, I'm just worried about you."

"Yeah, well don't. I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself."

He shook his head and gave up, reading the Daily Prophet instead. "Hey, speaking of your not-girlfriend, she wrote something," he said, handing me the page from the paper.

I read over the article, making a mental note to compliment Lily about it the next time I saw her. And I was really looking forward to it.

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Lily was not at the next Order meeting. I actually wasn't too worried about it though. What I was worried about was that I felt like the most useless member of the Order. I hadn't been asked to do a single thing to help our cause, and it made me a little angry, especially when Sirius was taken aside by Moody almost immediately after the meeting concluded.

As I was about to leave (Sirius would just apparate back to the flat later), Dumbledore took me into one of the many rooms off the main corridor. It was smaller, with a desk and some chairs. Dumbledore sat in one, and bade me to sit down as well. It was rather sparse and undecorated compared to his office at Hogwarts, which had always been filled with trinkets and gadgets.

He looked at me, and in that moment I was shocked to see how very old he was. The instant was fleeting, but it stunned me nonetheless. To me, Dumbledore had always been exactly as he was: elderly, but not old; out of his mind, but not quite insane; an invincible, unchangeable, everlasting symbol of everything good in the world.

His expression was one of concern. "I've been meaning to ask you for sometime. How are you doing, Mr. Potter?"

"I'm okay," I told him unwilling to examine the truthfulness of my statement.

"And how is Mr. Black?"

"He's doing fine."

He paused for a moment. "Have you gone back yet?"

"No." As much as I respected Dumbledore, I was sure I would hit him soon if he kept up this line of questioning.

"You realize you will have to eventually, right?"

"With all due respect sir," I said, my tone as stiff as I was, "It's my business and no one else's."

"Well, I feel a certain amount responsibility for you. You were my student once."

"But I'm not anymore. I'm an adult, and that means that I don't you, or anyone else, asking me how I'm doing, or when I'm "going back," or what my plans are!" I heard my voice get louder until I practically shouted the last part. However, I was too angry to worry about upsetting Dumbledore.

I got up and left quickly. The rational part of my mind knew I had overreacted, that he was only trying to help, but I ignored that part and focused on my anger.

I stood by that park bench Dumbledore had met us at just a couple of weeks ago, puffing on a cigarette. I was absorbed in my own thoughts for a while, forcing them away from unpleasant subjects.

"That's a nasty habit, you know." I smiled slightly in spite of myself and threw the used cigarette to the ground.

"I got caught up at work, and I couldn't make the meeting," she said, giving me a smile. "What did I miss?"

"Death. Destruction. The usual."

She stood there for a moment, studying me. "Everything okay?" she asked. Damn her and her perceptiveness.

"I'm fine. You wanna go out, get a drink?" I decided to put all of my energy into persuading Lily Evans to get completely wasted with me, then on actually getting completely wasted.

She looked a bit apprehensive. "I don't know..."

I was now even more determined to get her to come with me. "Come on, it'll be great. We'll get totally drunk, share deeply personal stories with one another, and then be way too hung over the next day to remember any of it."

"James, I shouldn't."

"You have to go into work tomorrow?"

"No..."

"Then what's the problem?" I realized that I probably sounded annoying and desperate at this point. Not that I would let that stop me.

"James, this sounds a bit like a date."

"So what?"

She sighed and sat down on the bench. "It's going to sound really stupid."

"Probably."

"Shut up, you prick," she said with a bit of a smile.

"Fine, tell me." I joined her on the bench, and she looked down at the ground for a moment.

She breathed deeply. "Look, I had fun the other night, but I really thought that was all we were going to do. I didn't really expect to keep up with you. And, years ago I... I made a promise to myself that I would never go out with James Potter." She finally looked at me, obviously embarrassed.

In hindsight, what I said next probably wasn't one of my better judgement calls. But fifteen-year-old James just had to come out at that moment (once again, Lily's presence tends to do that to me).

So I said to her, "Well I can always change my name, if that's what you mean." She frowned, but didn't say anything, so I persisted. "Come on, you know you want to."

She nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, James. You've just reminded me why I made that promise to myself." And with that, she got up and disapparated.

Things were getting really shitty. So I went home, grabbed Sirius (who'd apparently returned just a few minutes before I did), and the two of us headed to the nearest establishment selling alcohol.

Getting hammered totally helps you forget your problems.

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I'm sorry it took me so long to get this out, and now that it's finished, it's really short. I had a little trouble writing some of this chapter. I'm terrible, I know. I'll try not to keep you waiting again.

I'd like to once again thank my reviewers (though they are few and far between). This story really is about the characters, so thank you especially to **Aquiriis** for telling me she loved some of the characterization. That's really what I'm working on in this. And to **Siriusblack18**, just read over the summary one more time, or check out the song lyrics this is based on, and hopefully that will end your worry.


	4. Consider a Friend

Summary: Lily begins to change her mind about James. Little does she know, she really is just a conquest to James, a beautiful trophy. But once he gets what he wants, Lily begins to change his mind, too.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling, as well as anything else you may recognize (i.e. Order of the Phoenix). The story is loosely based on the song "Anna Begins," which belongs to Counting Crows.

**Lily Begins**

Chapter 4: Consider A Friend

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I have to say, I paid dearly the next day for those drinks. Sirius never seemed to be much affected by alcohol (it was one of his many useless talents), but I wasn't quite as lucky. He came into my room that morning as I was debating whether or not I should vomit.

"Now don't get me wrong, I love a night of getting piss-drunk just as much as the next guy. But I have to ask, what were you trying to erase from your memory last night?"

"Right now I'd like to erase last night from my memory."

"Prongs."

I groaned and pulled myself into a sitting position. Grabbing my glasses, I simply said, "Evans."

Sirius sighed in frustration. "Again? I thought you said you were done with that."

"I did. She drives me crazy, in a good way and a bad way."

"What happened?"

"I was in a bad mood, and we got into a bit of an argument. I went right back to being the obnoxious 15 year old she's always seen me as."

"The amazing James Potter: zero to arrogant in 2.5 seconds."

"Yeah, well, I think I'm worse off than when I started."

"Probably. On the bright side, you've got a lovely hangover to commemorate the evening."

I moaned as I fell back down on my pillows.

A few hours (and aspirin) later, I was considering my options concerning Lily. I'd need to seriously adjust my attitude if I wanted to get anywhere with her.

But did I want to get anywhere with her? And if so, why?

She's gorgeous, yes. Smart, talented, nice. But why is it so important to me that I win her? Why has it always been so important?

I know the normal reasoning. The "I want her 'cause I can't have her" theory. But is that really all?

Of course, someone who just barely got over a hangover is not really in the best mood to examine himself or his motives, so I stopped with that train of thought and sat down to write a letter to Lily.

_Dear Lily,_

_I'm sorry we got into an argument last night. I was in a terrible mood, and wasn't thinking clearly. I hope you'll forgive me, because I would like to be your friend._

_Sincerely, James_

Sirius had started reading the letter over my shoulder, and was obviously trying not to laugh. "'I hope you'll forgive me?' What is this shit?"

"I figure she might forgive me this way."

"You're nuts."

"You got any better plans?"

He sat down and was quiet for a moment. "This whole Lily thing, you sure you're not just using it as a distraction?" I refused to look at him as I rolled up the parchment. "Look-"

"Sirius, I'd really rather not talk about it, okay?"

He backed off, seeing that he was getting my temper up. "Whatever, man."

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Two days later, Lily showed up at my door.

Her face was tear-stained, her eyes red and bloodshot. "James, I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to go," she said, coming in.

I put my arm around her and led her to the couch. I let her cry on my shoulder for a while before asking, "Lily, what happened?"

"Th-there w-was an a-accident," she cried. "My m-mother's car..." She could barely get the words out, and collapsed into my chest.

I held her like that for almost an hour, sobbing out the whole story. Her mother's car had been hit by another driver, and although they'd rushed her to the hospital, she was hurt too badly. They weren't able to save her, and she died a few hours later.

"I guess I was lucky, you know?" she said once she'd started to calm down. "I got to say goodbye at least. I just wish she wasn't gone."

"I know," I said, hugging her.

"Maybe it was for the best. I mean, she really wasn't the same after Daddy died, so at least they're together now."

"Have you talked to your sister at all?" I asked, wondering what the wretch might have said.

Lily gave a humorless laugh. "Oh, I'm still in the wedding. Apparently it was my mother's dying request to her. Petunia very kindly informed me that after she was married, Vernon would be her family, and she never wanted to hear from me again."

"Wow. She really is a bitch, isn't she," I said.

Lily laughed and nodded. "Yeah, she really is. You know, I remember when I first got my letter for Hogwarts, and Petunia told me she'd always known I was a freak. I ran out of the house crying, and my mother came out to the backyard to get me. She showed me a flower in the garden that was some peculiar color and told me that just because it was different, that didn't make it any less beautiful or sweet-smelling than any of the other flowers. It just meant that it was extra special."

I was glad Lily was smiling again, and I listened intently as she told me about half a dozen more stories about her mother.

"She really does sound great," I said.

"Yeah."

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm dreading going back to that big empty house, though."

"You wanna stay here tonight?" I asked.

She thought about it for a moment. "I won't be putting you out?" she asked.

"No, not at all."

"In that case then, yes, I would really appreciate that."

"Alright. You go get your stuff, and I'll get the room ready," I said, standing up.

"And James?"

I stopped. "Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything. And... I'm really sorry about the other night."

"It's okay," I said, smiling. I went back and straightened up my room the best I could.

I went back out to the front room and found Lily had already apparated back. "You can stay here," I said, showing her to the room.

"James," she said, looking at me.

"Yes?"

"This is your room."

"No, it's the guest... ah, yeah, yeah, it's my room."

"I can't stay here."

"Sure you can."

"Then where will you sleep?"

"I'll be fine on the couch."

"I can't take your bed."

"Lily, I insist."

She smiled at me. "You know, you never stop surprising me."

"Well, I'm a surprising kind of guy."

She giggled and finally set her bag down on the bed. "Goodnight James."

"Good night Lily. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks." I grabbed some of my own things and left her alone.

The couch turned out to be quite comfortable, and I woke up the next morning only to find Sirius yelling at the closed bathroom door. "Come on, James! I swear, you take as long as a girl!"

"Hey Sirius," I said, running my hand through my hair and yawning, still a bit sleepy.

"Oh, hey James. James?"

"Yeah?"

"Well if you're out here, then..." He thought for a moment. "What the hell did I do last night?"

"It wasn't you. Lily stayed over."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What the hell did _you_ do last night?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, sure. You've got a gorgeous woman you've been pining for in you shower, and you're trying to tell me you guys didn't do anything?"

"I have not been pining for her," I said sternly.

"Whatever."

"Sirius, her mom died yesterday."

He finally stopped and looked, well, serious. "Oh. Wow. Is she okay?" he asked.

"As okay as she can be, all things considered."

"So you two really didn't do anything?"

"No! She was in my room, and I slept on the couch."

He nodded. "You're a good guy, James."

"Don't I know it," I said, heading back towards the kitchen.

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I would like to take a moment to clear something up about me. I know this story so far doesn't seem to show it, but I am actually a very decent guy. I know I have my flaws, but I can be extremely caring and sensitive. When Lily showed up at my door in tears, my only thought was to help her feel better. I was genuinely sympathetic, and I had no ulterior motives concerning Lily. Yes, I considered her a challenge, but I also wanted to consider her a friend.

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I had made some eggs for myself, and about fifteen minutes later, as I was reading the Prophet, Lily came out, already dressed. "Morning," I said.

"Hi," she replied with small smile.

"Can I get you something?" I asked.

"James, you don't have to."

"Come on. Eggs happen to be my specialty."

"Oh really?" she giggled, and I nodded confidently. "Alright then."

After making her breakfast, I finally found the courage to ask her something that had been bothering me since she showed up yesterday. "Lily?"

"Hm?" She looked up from her coffee.

"Why...why did you come to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, of all the shoulders you could have cried on last night, you chose mine. Why?"

She sighed and set down her mug. "Honestly? You know that letter you sent me a few days ago? Well, it's been sitting on my desk ever since. I went back home, terribly upset, and there it was. So I thought about what you'd wrote, and I came here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Because I'd like to consider you a friend."

"Well, you can definitely consider me a friend," I said with a broad smile.

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Okay, I know it's late, but look how long it is! Does that count at all? Sorry it took me extra long to update, and now that I'm back at school, I've realized that this story needs to be put on hiatus for a little bit. I'll write more whenever I can, but don't expect updates for a while. I'm so sorry, but it needs to be done.

This chapter came about a bit unexpectedly, but it really became a bridge to where I wanted to take this story. I hope this reveals a little more about James' character, and his feelings towards Lily.

I would like to thank **writerchick13** and **redglasses** for not forgetting me, and for their lovely reviews. I really appreciate it.


	5. A Cautionary Tale

Summary: Lily begins to change her mind about James. Little does she know, she really is just a conquest to James, a beautiful trophy. But once he gets what he wants, Lily begins to change his mind, too.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling, as well as anything else you may recognize (i.e. Order of the Phoenix). The story is loosely based on the song "Anna Begins," which belongs to Counting Crows.

**Lily Begins**

Chapter 5: A Cautionary Tale

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Over the next few weeks Lily and I became close friends. We spent a lot of time together, and I almost forgot about the challenge I'd set for myself.

Almost.

It was a Friday night in early September when she rushed over to my flat. She didn't even bother saying hello, but instead simply shoved the next day's paper at me.

"What the... Lily, what are you doing?" I asked.

She yanked the cigarette out of my mouth and stamped it out in the ashtray, a new habit she'd acquired. She hated the fact that Sirius and I smoked, and was often forceful about getting us to quit. Actually, I didn't really smoke that often, but Sirius, she'd decided, had "a serious problem."

"Read," she said, pointing at the paper. The headline on the front page shouted: ATTEMPTED ROBBERS FOILED AT GRINGOTTS.

"So?"

"No, below the fold!" Lily was so excited she was jumping up and down in anticipation.

I read the title out loud, "_Wizard-garten: Pre-Hogwarts Schooling is Sweeping London Suburbs_ by Lily Evans! Holy shit, that's awesome!"

She giggled excitedly and I gave her a hug. "Lil, that's amazing! We gotta celebrate," I told her.

"We don't have to do anything..."

"Did someone say they were going out drinking?" Sirius called from the other room.

"I said celebrate."

"Same difference," he said, strolling into the kitchen. "So what are we celebrating?"

"Check it out," Lily said excitedly.

"What the hell is 'Wizard-garten?'" he asked.

"Read the by-line, stupid," I said.

He glared at me quickly before reading Lily's name. "Holy shit, that's you! Oh, we have to go out and celebrate this. This is awesome!"

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About two hours later, we were all well on our way to some lovely hangovers. Sirius was chatting up a blond nearby, and Lily and I kept ordering the firewhiskeys.

"To Lily, the best reporter at the Prophet!" I shouted, raising my glass. There were drunken cheers around us as we quickly downed the drinks.

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Fuck.

I have to stop drinking so much. Wait... I made it home last night?

Looking blearily around my room, I realized I hadn't made it home alone. I reached for my glasses so I could better identify the body lying next to me. I was having a lot of trouble remembering what happened last night.

With my glasses I saw a very hot woman lying next to me. Now if I could only remember her name... or her face. And then I noticed something.

Red hair.

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I lay there for about twenty minutes before I heard Lily groaning beside me. She stretched her arms out and started to look around tiredly. I had started to remember snippets of the night before.

"Morning," I said, unsure of the proper protocol for such a situation.

"James? What the hell happened last night?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, I can't say I remember it that well, but judging from the evidence before us..."

"We had sex, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did."

"Shit." She sighed and slumped back down on the bed. "This is bad."

"Probably. But hey, what I remember was pretty good," I told her. I really was trying to cheer her up. Yes, I'm not the best cheerer-upper, I'm aware.

"Thanks," she said unhappily. "Look, I should get going."

"Lil..."

"I'll see you at the meeting tonight, alright?"

"Sure. See you there." I sighed in frustration as she disapparated.

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Later that night, Sirius and I headed to the Order meeting. Lily was there. Sirius waved at her from across the room, and she half-heartedly waved back. I quickly occupied myself by talking to Frank Longbottom, an auror who had been two years ahead of me in school.

We didn't make eye contact the rest of the night, and she sat as far as she could from Sirius and I. Things had gotten awkward between me and one of my good friends.

And this would put a major kink in my plans.

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After the meeting I was given a mission. I would spend the next week in Hogsmeade, in a shady corner of the Hogs Head, waiting. When I asked Moody what I was waiting for, he said "You'll know when you see it."

To make a long story short, I never saw "it." I got to spend some time near Hogwarts, reminiscing at the Quidditch Pitch. It had only been a few months, but my time there seemed like a lifetime ago.

Over that week I also talked to Sirius a bit with our two-way mirrors, but I found myself really missing my conversations with Lily. I tried to push it aside, but if I was honest with myself (which I rarely am), I wanted to talk to her again.

That is, if she'll ever talk to me again.

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I'm back! I finally had a break, and with my internet not working for a day or two, I opened up my files and started writing. I'm hoping to go back to working on this more regularly, although not quite weekly as intended before.

As far as Lily's newspaper story, it took me about three weeks of writers block to come up with some stupid title, so deal with it. Her news story isn't really important, anyway.


End file.
